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Remote-camera footage reportedly shows dwarf crocodiles catching bats in Gabon’s Abanda Caves—behavior researchers had not been able to observe while they were inside the caves. The footage offers a rare look at what these crocodiles do when people are absent, but it does not yet establish how often they catch bats or why.
What the footage shows
A report published by Live Science on October 1, 2026 describes remote-camera footage of dwarf crocodiles catching bats in the Abanda Caves in Gabon. Researchers already knew the cave animals ate bats and insects, but had not seen them hunt: according to conservation ecologist Matt Shirley, the crocodiles would not hunt while people were in the cave.
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Shirley told Live Science that after working with this population for almost 15 or 16 years, he had not previously seen the behavior. That is a statement about his experience, not a measure of how frequently the crocodiles catch bats. The report does not give a capture rate, population estimate, or other measure of how common the behavior is.
How remote cameras help
People entering a cave can change what animals do or prevent observers from seeing their normal behavior. A remote camera can record activity without a person present, making it possible to witness behavior that direct observation misses. In this case, the reported footage records bat-catching; researchers may be able to use it to reconstruct behavioral patterns and trends, as Shirley said, but a single reported observation cannot establish a long-term pattern or its cause.
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The distinction matters: footage can show what happened in front of a camera, while explaining how typical it is—or what ecological conditions lead to it—requires further observations and measurements.
What researchers may learn next
The footage could help researchers build a better picture of the cave crocodiles’ behavior over time. To determine whether bat-catching is occasional or part of a broader pattern, they would need repeated observations and context about the animals’ prey and cave environment. The report does not establish a hunting strategy, frequency, or evolutionary consequence.
Research elsewhere illustrates how cave monitoring can be extended. A 2023 study of cave-dwelling crocodiles in central Belize surveyed five caves, directly observed crocodiles in two, recorded one leaving a third, and identified at least 16 potential prey species, including several bats. The authors recommended continued camera monitoring, prey surveys, cave-temperature monitoring, detailed cave maps, and capture-based examination to improve understanding of cave use and inform management. These are recommendations from the Belize study, not confirmed plans for the Gabon project.
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Gabon and Belize are different cases
The Belize study provides a useful example of cave monitoring, but it should not be treated as evidence that crocodiles there catch bats in the same way as Gabon’s dwarf crocodiles. The two reports concern different places and taxonomic situations.
In Belize, researchers could not conclusively identify the uncaptured crocodiles because Morelet’s and American crocodiles interbreed in the region. The IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group account also documents cave-dwelling by Morelet’s crocodile in Belize. Neither source establishes that the Belize animals hunt bats like the Gabon population.
What is known about the Gabon population
Live Science reports that researchers first documented the Abanda cave crocodiles in 2010 and that a 2016 study compared cave animals with crocodiles living in the forest above ground. The report describes the cave population as genetically isolated and says researchers consider it often better fed than forest-dwelling counterparts. Plentiful prey and fewer predators are offered as possible explanations for that condition, not as a settled account of its cause.
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The footage is a behavioral observation, not proof that the cave crocodiles are becoming a new species or that bat-catching has driven evolutionary change. Those broader questions require evidence beyond the reported camera observation.
Where to watch the footage
Live Science reports that the footage is planned for the Jungle episode of Africa: Earth’s Wild Home. The report does not establish where or whether the episode is currently available to watch.
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